Rita Ora’s steady rise has been a long 3-years, reminiscent of how artists used to be nurtured and branded before making it on the mainstream scene. Before hitting the road for some promo spot shows, the Roc Nation signee made a visit to Billboard HQ for a one-on-one interview with The Juice’s Erika Ramirez. Along with performing her singles “R.I.P.” and “How We Do (Party),” the U.K. native spoke on finding herself as an artist, and the learning experience recording her debut album, along with the lessons she learned from her boss Jay-Z.

“When I signed to Roc Nation, I was 18. At 18, I was basically singing anything [and] talking about something that I  didn’t really know. When we recorded a few songs… the good thing about having a musician who is also your boss, is [having him] say, ‘Are you happy with it?’ Rita Ora said of Jay-Z and recording,”I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ He taught me about patience and they [Roc Nation] taught me how to find myself. i came back one day, and I swear, and I was like, ‘You know what? We need to do something else. And we flipped it.”

Rita’s album is set to drop this summer with contributions from Ester Dean, The-Dream, Tinie Tempah, Drake and more.

Watch Rita’s interview and performance with Billboard below…

Previously:
Rita Ora Takes Over the West Coast, Shines at L.A. Show (Video)
Rita Ora Rocks Her First U.S. Show in New York City (Video)
ita Ora – “How We Do (Party)” (Video)
Rita Ora Goes Acoustic; Previews New Song with VEVO (Video)
Rita Ora Feat. Tinie Tempah – “R.I.P.” (Video)